Jason Shaw is a photographer who always wants to capture the right moment. But what happens when the same moment repeats over and over again? After meeting Mackenna, his life is never the same as the day of their meeting continues to repeat itself. Jason tries to change the fate he is left with, but is unsuccessful. Will he be able to come to grips with the truth God is trying to tell him before it’s too late?

Production Quality (2 points)

EchoLight Studios and Liberty University clearly have the resources and know-how for crafting a top level production. This is evident in the professional camera work, video quality, sets, and locations of 77 Chances. However, there are some minor audio issues, such as an overbearing soundtrack. Also, editing issues plague this movie as there is too much wasted time and incongruence. But otherwise, this production is above average—we just feel that it could have been better.

Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)

At this point, it’s likely that the Groundhog Day plot concept is a little worn out. There is little that can be done with this idea, and the story only ends up being filled with montages and copied or varied scenes. Therein, there is too much ‘silent’ dialogue covered up with music, which stunts the development of the few characters there are. Nevertheless, some of the ideas and psychological elements presented in 77 Chances are interesting and intriguing, albeit sometimes too mystifying and confusing. After establishing the repeating day and subsequently playing around with it for about an hour, a unique and creative concept is introduced with about ten minutes left to go. Due to time constraints, this idea is not fully developed or completed, thus leaving the audience with a half-hearted effort. This is frustrating to watch because there is actually a lot of potential here. But alas, we are left wondering what could have been.

Acting Quality (1 point)

Erin Bethea, Andrew Cheney, and Rachel Hendrix have all had their better movies, but this is not one of them. They come off as stiff, awkward, and flat. Scotty Curlee and Stephan Schultze are supposed to be Kendrick prodigies, yet their acting coaching comes up short here. Though not all is bad, this is another disappointing element.

Conclusion

We know that EchoLight has the ability to create a quality film, but the Liberty University team has even more potential they are sitting on that they are not properly using. Tracy Trost, Curlee, and Schultze all have the training and the talent necessary to take the next step into greatness, but they are stuck in mediocrity. As a side note, we would like to see this movie have a remake, if possible. The bottom line is that this creative team has more resources than many film makers dream of—they just need to use them properly.